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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- G. H. & P. WESTGOTT.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER. No 347,216. I Patented Aug..10, 1886.

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(No Model.)

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Y0. 1-1. & FbWESTGOTT.

PI BBXTINGUIS ER.

No. 347,216. Patented Aug. 10, 1886;

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UNITED STATES i PATENT Grains.

CHARLES VVESTOOTT AND FRANK VVESTCOTT, OF SENECA FALLS, N. Y.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIPICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No.347,216 dated August 10, 1 886.

Application filed March 4, 1886.

Serial No. 193,997. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that-we, CHARLES H. EST- oo'rr and FRANK WVEsToorT, of Seneca Falls, in the county of Seneca, and in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishers;

and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

ings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our appa ratus before being placed in position for use.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the:

view of said apparatus in full operation; and Figs. 6 and 7 are perspectiveviews of the rear end of the reservoir, and show different ar rangements of the suspensory mechanism.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like 5 parts in each of the figures.

In the use of chemical fireextinguishers much uncertainty exists with regard to :the: formation and liberation of theextinguishing gas, and such mechanisms have consequently fallen into disrepute as a sole reliance against loss from fire,- although from the small expense requiredfor their construction, and the fact that they can be placed in position within any room without the running of pipes or other expensive previouspreparation, render them in such respect very desirable.

The design of our invention is to increase the efficiency and to render certain the action of chemical fire-extinguishers; and to such end said invention consists in an apparatus for generating gas, in which the chemicals are combined by a change in the position of the reservoir, in combination with a diaphragnrihat incloses the discharge-opening, and is adapted to break and liberate the gases which are generated when the same'have reached a predeteri mined pressure, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in a gas-generating apparatus in which are combined a reservoir that p is adapted to be suspended horizontally berel'erence being had to the accompanying drawand water have been liberated; Fig. 5 is alike neath the ceiling of a room, and to automatically change to a vertical position when a predetermined degree of temperature exists in such room, means, substantially as shown, for causing separately-stored chemicals to combine when said reservoir thus changes position,and

discharge-opening of the latter will be closed until a predetermined pressure has been produced within the same, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

It consists, further, in a gas-generating ap- "paratus, in which are combined a reservoir that is adapted to be suspended horizontally beneath the ceiling of a room, and to automatically change to a vertical position when a predetermined degree of temperature exists in such room, means, substantially as shown, for causing separately-stored Cl'lGll'llCillS to combiue when said reservoir thus changes position, means, substantially as shown, whereby the discharge-opening of the latter will be closed until a predetermined pressure has been produced within the same,'and means, substantially as described, whereby the gas and liquid, when liberated, will bethrown outward and downward in all directions from such dispurpose hereinafter shown and described.

It consists, further, in the means employed for holding the acid-containing vessel in position and preventing the escape of its contents while the reservoir is being handled or stored, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, finally, in the special construction of parts, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

In the carrying of our invention into practice, we employa reservoir, A, which, preferably, has the form of a plain cylinder with closed ends. The front end, B, of said reservoir is provided with a discharge-opening, I), while its rear end, 0, is inclosed by means of a detachable plug, D, that is preferably held in place by means of aperipheral screw-thread, d, which engages with a correspondingly opposite screw-thread, c, that is formed within the interior of the opening in said end.

Secured to or formed upon the rear end, (1, or the plug D, are two eyes, E, with each of which is engaged one end of a link, F, that has charge-opening, substantially as and for the means, substantially as shown, whereby the its opposite end connected with a hook, G, or other like support that is placed within and projects downward from the ceiling II of a room, the arrangement being such as to enable the reservoir A to be placed in a horizontal or a vertical position with reference to said ceiling, such change of position being effected by swinging the front end of said reservoir upward, or permitting it to drop downward. The normal position of the reservoir A is horizontal, as seen in Fig. 3, and it is held in such position by means of a link or wire, I, which extends between its front end and the ceiling ll. Said link or wire is made from an alloy that is fusible at any desired predetermined degree of temperature, so that when the temperature at the top of the room reaches such point, said supporting part I will break, and permit said reservoir to swing downward to a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 4.

The reservoir A is intended to contain water and an acid, or any equivalents usually employed for the production of a fire-extinguishing gas, which parts are to be keptseparate until needed for extinguishing afu'e. The water K is placed within the body of said reservoir, and may, if desired, nearly till the same, while the acid L is placed within a vessel, M, that when said reservoir is horizontal, rests upon and is supported by a shelf, N, which extends horizontally across the latter near its rear end. The shelf N is placed at such a height as to bring the upper open end of the vessel M near the upper side of the reservoir A, and in order to insure the position of said vessel, two or more rods, 92, are preferably extended from said she] fin position to loosely embrace said vessel upon all sides, except toward the front end of said reservoir. \Vhile the reservoir A is being handled or stored, the open upper end of the acid-vessel M is closed by means of a stopper 0r valve, 0, which isfaced with some tiexible material and is swiveled upon or in contact with the end of a screw, 1, that passes inward through a threaded opening in the upper side of said reservoir. After said vessel has been placed in position upon its shelf, by turning inward upon said screw said val ve will be pressed into and caused to closely fill the open end of said vessel, so as to confine within its contents and render safe its inversion. The discharge-opening I) is enlarged from its outer end nearly to its rear end, and within such enlarged portion 1/, which is threaded, is fitted a threaded plug, Q, that carries upon its outer end a rotatable sprinkler, ll, of any desired form. Between the inner end of said plug and the rear end of the enlargement b is placed a diaphragm, S, of some easily-ruptured material, preferably tin-foil, which is closely confined at its edges and operates to cntirel y close said discharge opening. Said diaphragm has such strength as will cause it to resist any predetermined amount of pressure within the reservoir A and any increase of pressure above such point will cause it to become ruptured, so as to afford free escape for the liquid or gaseous contents of said reservoir.

ln arranging the apparatus for use the hooks or othersuspending devices are placed within the ceiling, and a reservoir (containing water and having an acid-holding vessel locked in place and closed) is suspended from the same, after which the valve is withdrawn from engagement with the mouth of the acidvessel. If,uow,the temperature within the room rises above the predetermined safety-point, the fusible support for the front end of said resen voir gives way and the latter swings downward to a vertical position. The change of position of the reservoir causes the acid-vessel to be upset and its contents to mingle with the water, upon which the generation of gas commences, and as soon as a sufficient pressure is produced the diaphragm within the dis chargeopening is ruptured and the gas and water are then discharged in spray through the interior of the room, such discharge being sudden and effective, in consequence of the previous confinement of the contents of said reservoir.

For the purpose of giving notice to those in other parts of a building or at'any point distant from the room in which a iii'eoccnrs, we employ any of the usual forms of mechanical or electric alarms, and connect the same with the front end of the reservoir or with any other portion of the apparatus which by a change of position is capable of releasing a stop or of making or breaking an electric circuit.

In Fig. 3 I have shown two forms of electric alarms, T and T, the bellor alarm mechanism of either of which can be placed wherever desired. In the form T, shown at the right of Fig. 3 and in full lines, one wire, 2', is conneeted with the suspending-hook G, and the other wire, t, with the hook upon which the fusible link I is supported. The current will then, as long as the link isunbroken, pass from the alarm mechanism to hook G, through link F, through the walls of the reservoir, through the fusible link and its sup lortinghook, and back to the alarm device again. Vhen the link I is broken, as when the reservoir is dropped to set the extinguisher into operation, the circuit will be broken and the alarm be so caused to sound.

At the left of Fig. 3 is shown in dottedlines another form, T, of alarm device. In this form the alarm only sounds when the circuit is closed. One wire, IF, from the alarm mechanism proper extends to a bent contact-arm, if, and the other is connected with another contact-wire, t, normally held out of contact with the arm L as shown, by the reservoir as long as it remains held up by the fusible link.

,To enable this to be done best the contact-arm i is provided with a lug or block, f, preferably of insulating material, which rests upon the reservoir as long as the latter is held up by the fusible link. lVhen thelink melts and the reservoir falls orswin gs down, the contact- IIO arm t falls into contact with arm f and so closes the circuit, causing the alarm to sound by the passage of the current.

The cylindrical form of reservoir is preferably employed, but it is obvious that any other form will operate in substantially the same manner. NVhile we prefer to suspend the rear end of said reservoir by means of two links, asseen in Fig. 6, in order to hold the same steady and prevent it from turning, the same result may be secured by means of one link, having its upper portion contained be tween two lugs that project from the end of said reservoir, as shown in Fig. 7 r

We do not claim as our invention, or desire to cover by our claims, a plug or plate of fusible material placed in a pipe and adapted to resist and not be broken by pressure in the pipe. Our breakable diaphragm is not one to be broken by fusing, but by the pressure in the pipe.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. An apparatus for generati ng gas, in which the chemicals are combined by a change in the position of the reservoir, in combination with a diaphragm that-incloses the discharge-opening, and is adapted to break and liberate the gases which are generated when the samehave reached a predetermined pressure, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

2 In afire-cxtinguishingapparatus, in combination with areservoir supported beyond its center of gravity by a swinging support, a second support, adapted to be broken or ruptured by heat, supporting the reservoir in a horizontal position, the chemicals stored separately within the reservoir, so as tobe mixed when the reservoir swings downward on its swinging support, and abreakalole obstruction in the-discharge-pipe, substantially-as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In afire-extinguishing apparatus, in combination withthe chemical-containing reservoir, the rotary sprinkler connected with the interior of the reservoir bya suitablepassage, and the breakable diaphragm closing such passage between the interior of the reservoir, and the sprinkler adapted to be broken by pressure from within the reservoir, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

4. Thecylindrical reservoir, provided with a transverse shelf for sustaining an acid-vessel, in combination with said 'vessel and with a screw-moved valve for engagement with the mouth of the same, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

5. The hereinbefore-described apparatus, consisting of the reservoir A, suspended horizontally by means of the links F and fusible link orwire I, and provided with the threaded discharge-opening b, removable head D, and

'shelf N, in combination with the threaded plug Q, rotatable sprinkler R, breakable diaphragm S, acid-vessel M, valve 0, and operatiugserew P, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 26th day of January, A. D. 1886.

CHAS. H. VVES'IGOTT. FRANK IVESTGOTT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES 'l. HALL, RICHARD G. MILLER. 

